MIRABEL, Quebec » Ai Miyazato and Pernilla Lindberg shot 7-under 65s in wet conditions on Thursday to share the lead in the Canadian Women’s Open, while Michelle Wie was two strokes back in her title defense.
Canadian Samantha Richdale opened with a 66 at Hillsdale Gold Club, and Wie was another stroke back along with Angela Stanford, Mi Hyun Kim, Song-Hee Kim and Jenny Shin.
Wie, using a long putter, holed a 60-footer for birdie on the par-5 fifth and closed with a 45-foot birdie putt on her final hole. She won last year at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Wie began using the belly putter after the U.S. Women’s Open in July.
"You know, I like my putter," the Punahou graduate said. "Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been toying with different grips and different ways to do it. But it’s feeling pretty good and I’ve got to keep working on it."
Couples picks Woods
Fred Couples has told Tiger Woods that he decided to add him to the 12-member Presidents Cup team.
"There is no reason for me to wait till Sept. 26 to pick Tiger," Couples said.
Frazar leads Barclays
Whatever enthusiasm there was for the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs was dampened Thursday — first by rain that halted the first round for nearly 3 hours, then from the gloomy forecast of Hurricane Irene.
Harrison Frazar led an onslaught of birdies on rain-softened Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., shooting a 7-under 64 at The Barclays.
Vijay Singh overcame a double bogey early in his round for a 65 and was tied with Jonathan
Foster leads in Scotland
England’s Mark Foster shot a 6-under 66 to take the lead in the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles, Scotland, before first-round play was suspended fog and swarming wasps.